Sunday, September 28, 2014

Every so often, I’ll meet a dancer whose
onstage persona is so completely unlike the way she is in real life, it really
throws me for a loop. One moment we’re backstage acting like complete idiots,
giggling over silly things while compulsively shoving carrot sticks into our
mouths. Then, she performs a set so amazing,
that when she finishes, I’m so blown away with utter fangirl appreciation, I almost feel too shy to talk to her!

Alli Ruth is that kind of dancer.Even
though we’ve been pals her for years, and I’ve seen her multiple times in ratty
sweats with no make up, an Ace bandage wrapped around an injury, swearing like
a truck driver, I can never quite
reconcile her fun, down-to-earth true self with the preternaturally elegant
creature I’ve just witnessed bringing the house down onstage.Andnot only that, in her real life, she’s a librarian! To see her
performing classic American and Turkish style floor work is like having a
private audience with a goddess!

Photo: Atelieri O. Haapala

Alli
Ruth lives in Helsinki, Finland, where she teaches and performs her
specialty-and passion- American Cabaret style belly dance. She herself calls
what she does “AmCab Fusion”, because she isn’t nearly old enough to have ever performed this
style back in it’s Seventies heyday!

As White Kali in a Desert Sin performance

After
moving to Finland in 2010,she realized that dancers from across the continent
of Europe had a hunger for this uniquely American style, so she began teaching
what she’d grown up with as a dancer. She came to belly dance in 1998, in her native
Los Angeles, learning fromthe masters
of the American Cabaret (also known as Vintage Orientale) genre, including the
late, great Diane Webber, whose unique style and considerable influence inspired
another of Alli Ruth’s mentor’s, LA-based dancer Anaheed. Dance mother to many in Southern California,
Anaheed invited Alli Ruth to appear with The Perfumes Of Araby, a troupe
founded by Diane Webber. In 2001, through Anaheed, she met and began dancing
with Elayssa of Desert Sin, a gloriously theatrical “alternative belly dance”
troupe whose influence is still widely felt in the Tribal Fusion community, and
as Alli Ruth says, “whether they realize it or not!”

With Princess Benu in Istanbul

She has also seriously studied with other legendary AmCab performers such
as Cory Zamora, Alexandra King and Princess Benu of Turkey, plus the Queen of
Floor Work(and inventor of many of it’s
staple moves) Anahid Sofian of New York City. Alli Ruth’s teaching and performing
careerabroad has been as busy as it
has been fulfilling; though like any dancer worth her salt, she considers
herself a student and constantly attends workshops, classes and private
lessons. By doing this, she is also preservinga distinctive and exceptional American contribution to belly dancing.

Here, in her own modest words, is
how Alli Ruth prepares for her show-stopping performances:

“I
try to do as much of my makeup and prep at home, especially if I don’t know the
backstage conditions, or don’t have a backstage at all. This too allows me to
change my mind, for example about an eye shadow color at the last minute. I
enjoy socializing backstage and would rather relax and talk to, or assist other
dancers than be stuck in the mirror. It also makes more time for warming up. My
warm up consists of lots of relaxed shimmies, “African Stretch” for the spine
(Diane Webber used to make us do it every class), large loose hip circles,
lunges and ankle, shoulder and wrist circles.

Alli Ruth at Sutdio Iqaat, LA photo: Kat Bushman

My
costuming style is what they used to call “Mixy Gypsy” so I never wear the same
exact ensemble. I also never know exactly what I’m going to wear in advance.
I’m famous for being frantic about “what to wear” and changing my mind about
details up until the last minute. My breast size fluctuates greatly, leading to
hasty alterations. My lifesaver mom is accustomed to my begging her to stitch
bra hooks, and over the years I’ve taught a couple boyfriends how to use a
needle and thread. Because I improv, I also have the opportunity to change my
music up until the last minute, particularly if the organizer doesn’t need it
in advance. What I’m getting at is that I have total ADD, which I struggle with
when it comes to show prep.

I’ve
learned to not make or watch recordings of myself within 3 days before the show
as it inevitably results in a self-critique that will cause me to change my
mind, if not fall apart entirely. Also, to have many bra hook options on both
the back and neck straps of my bras. I of course have a prepped gig bag and
even extra, extra things that other dancers may have forgotten themselves (Belly
dance karma!).

Because
I do floor work, one of the most important things is to know the condition and
material of the floor to help determine the bottom half of my costume. Harem
pants can get pulled by carpet (I’ve heard of dancers literally pantsing
themselves) but carpet can cause serious burn on a bare leg. Some settings may
have floor that is too harsh-such as pavement, be too small or placed in such a
way the audience wouldn’t see you on the floor. Sometimes, floor work won’t
work which factors into my music selection.

I’m
always way more nervous in the days before the performance and on the
day of the show than I am when I’m about to go on. The main thing I do in the
moments before coming out to dance is taking deep breaths and remind myself, it’s simply about sharing a dance. I try
to remember that nobody cares so much about me that they’re going to go
home and think for days about how I may have messed up; they have their own
lives and concerns and nobody wants me to fail. I try to quiet my ego
and dance for the joy of it. I think of all the happiness and fun I’ve
experienced myself when watching other dancers and the gratitude I have towards
them for this. It’s simply my turn to do the same for others, to share. This
really keeps me calm and ensures a good experience.

After
my performance, it’s like I got something out of my system and just wants to return
to being “Al”-my nickname amongst friends. I almost always, immediately tear
off my bra and throw on a t-shirt -or a comfy cover up if I’m coming out from
backstage, maybe crack a beer or pour a glass of wine.

I
like dancing most at private events, where I can come both in and out as the belly dancer …and the mystique of the
backstage, behind-the-scenes stays in my own home.”

The Snow Queen: photo by Irina Alanko

##

Sunday,
October 4, 2014

Hardcore Floor: Old School AmCab and Classic Turkish
Floor Work With Alli Ruth

You’ll
learn ascents, descents, back bends, layouts, and some nearly extinct (and very
wild) Turkish moves and Rom gestures for floor. Floor work for both drum solo
and taxim will be explored.

The Belly Dance Handbook: A Companion
For The Serious Dancer is nowavailable wholesale for dance teachers and studios. To find out about
wholesale order,visit www.princessfarhana.com and click
on the “email” button at the top right of the home page.

Monday, September 22, 2014

On the eve of the Autumn Equinox I wish you a very Happy First Day Of Fall!

Even though it’s sunny and hot here in my
native Los Angeles and doesn’t feel like autumn at all, every Solstice, I get
the urge to prepare for the new season dance-wise. And for those of you in
places where the weather actually changes
according to the season, it’s even more imperative!

The first thing I do is go
through my costume closet and take a look at everything to see what needs
mending, alterations or some other kind of attention.I get out my sewing kit and re-do hooks and snaps, repair any loose beads or dropped hems, and see if anything needs to be washed
or dry cleaned.I check my dance shoes
to see if they need to be repaired or replaced, steam or iron my veils, and add
new elastic to my finger cymbals, and replace the cedar chips in the air-tight
boxes where I store my feather fans.

Most of us have costumes that we wear less
often during summer- like those with sleeves, more coverage, or stage creations
hade of velvet…now’s the time to bust out those beauties, cause they’ll come in
handy during these colder months.

I also re-stock my gig bags and class bags with
new supplies for the chilly season, adding a heavier cover-up plus things that come in handy in drafty dance studios or back
stage, like leg warmers and a light dance sweater or hoodie.I make sure each gig bag includes a little
emergency kit with bobby pins, safety pins, needles and thread, Band-Aids,
feminine protection, pain reliever tablets, and stuff I blow through constantly,
like breath mints, hair spray and body glitter.

Fall is a great time to check your stage make
up, too.This might not be pertinent for
Goth chicks, but as the seasons change, your skin tone is probably changing,
too!The transition from being a sun-kissed, beach babe to your non-summer complexion means that you’ll need to address
your skin products and foundation.

Now is the time to get a slightly thicker moisturizer
or serum to protect your skin from the cold and rain- might as well get a jump-start
on it, right? And you'll probably have to
blend a couple of tones of foundation to get your “transitional” skin evened
out. I usually take a clean new travel-sized container and mix the two colors
directly into the container. Remember that for stage work, if your foundation is
a shade or two darker than your actual skin tone, it won’t look odd; it’ll just
make you appear healthy and robust.

At the change of seasons, I also throw away
any cosmetics that have run their course- especially items like mascara or
creamy eye shadow or eye make up primer.Because these are wet and can attract bacteria every time you use them,
in order for these products to not potentially cause an infection, their life span
is usually only three months, anyway. I date mine with a sharpie pen and get
rid of them at the three-month mark.

Right now is also a fantastic time to get a
jump on your holiday season gigs, too!

Show producers and private
parties begin booking for the holidays well before the end of October…because if they
don’t, the prime days- especially weekend nights between Thanksgiving and the middle of December,
will already be taken!

Send out emails with descriptions of what
shows and service you can offer during the holidays now. Make the tone friendly and
professional, and alert your previous clients as well as sending an email (or
hard copy promotional package) to venues like nightclubs, theaters,
restaurants, banquet halls and to individual event planners in your area.

Tune up your technique and start making your warm-ups a little longer and more thorough; the cold weather can seize muscles and some of us feel the damp in our joints, too. Start setting choreographiesfor your holiday gigs now… and take the next
few weeks to make sure thatyour special holiday costumes are either gig-ready, or at least that construction has started!

If you teach, this is also a fantastic time to contact the studio where you’re work-
or where you’d like to work, to discuss
class and workshop plans and time slots for 2015!

And as of right now, it’s only a few days until
October!Can you believe it?I sure as hell can’t!

Now is
also the time to practice saying NO…because
in a couple of weeks, everyone and their baby sister are going to be hitting
you up to borrow your expensive stage wear to use as Halloween costumes!

#

Get yourself a signed copy of The Belly Dance Handbook: A Companion For The Serious Dancerhere:

Sunday, September 7, 2014

I made an "executive decision" to play with my hair for this picture!
Photo: Maharet Hughes

We all love to watch a dancer who looks effortless
and relaxed onstage because it’s a joy
to see. This type of natural performance allows audience members to just sit
back and become enthralled by the dancer’s personality and connection to the
music. But this air of ease and confidence is
often something many performers struggle with, because before we actually hit
the stage, we’re hyper from performance adrenalin and nervous energy! Usually this
type of laid-back grace isn’t natural, it’s a learned skill, which has been honed and perfected, just like any
other type of technique!

One of the things that drives
me (and other audience members, whether they are professional dancers or not)
crazy when watching a show is a performer who carries over bad habits from
their rehearsals or classes into their
performances. It's also the bane of every dancers existence- cause at some point in our career, we all have had bad habits that presented themselves in our performances. Dancers of all levels often
have difficulties controlling unconscious nervous tics and stressed out gestures
when they’re on stage, whether it’s holding tension in their jaws, a
glassy“concentration face” kind of
stare or mouthing the counts of the music. We’ve all seen it!

My own go-to nervous gesture used to be
constantly playing with my hair… and not in a sexy, come-hither way!I looked more like an agitated fifth grader
about to take a spelling test than a relaxed and capable professional dancer.

It took me a long timetobreak that habit…and it also took a lot of cussing out loud at myself in the
mirror while I practiced!But the work
was worth it, I finally laid that unconscious tic to rest, and now the only
time I play with my hair onstage is if I do it intentionally.

To remedy our habits, we need to be vigilant during
our classes, practice sessions and rehearsals so that we don’t take these
audience distractions onto the stage with us!

Habits- in any form- are difficult to
break.

These unconscious gestures are have become automatic, and the reason they get
repeated is twofold. First of all, our habits are almost always something that
has been done constantly; whether it
is physical, mental or emotional, habits are learned through repetition.

To illustrate this, think of
a good habit (like your basic dance posture) and you’ll get the idea. Prior to your study of dance, you didn’t go
about your daily activities standing straight and tall, with the muscles in your
abdomen engaged, a lifted ribcage and your shoulders held back and down…. did
you?

Nope, you learned this posture!

And it took a damn long time to get to the
point where this stance became normal
for you! But once you got used to standing in dance posture, it became one less
thing to keep track of, thereby allowing your brain to focus on more important
issues…like executing difficult technique or getting your timing and phrasing
down.

Secondly, many of these
habitual behaviors have become comfortable, reliable and somewhat pleasurable, because for whatever
reason, they make us feel calm and peaceful.Think of a child sucking it’s thumb and you’ll get the idea. A
self-soothing habit (whether it is shopping compulsively, always having a glass
of wine with dinner or making odd
grimaces onstage) triggers the chemical dopamine in our brains, which in turn
activates our brain’s Reward Center.Why does a dog beg?He knows he will get a treat! It's a habit.

Why did I always used to
twirl my hair onstage? Cause it felt good to do that in a stressful
environment…playing with my hair was a self-soothing “treat”, but it sucked because I not only did it in
public, during performance, but I didn’t even realize I was doing it, because I wasn’t thinking about it!

Once you understand these two concepts, any
habit will become a little easier for you to break. You’ll still need will
power, and you’ll still need to really re-wire your brain to change the habit,
but it can be done!

Here’s how:

IDENTIFY YOUR BAD HABITS

The best way to do this is to
watch taped performances and practice sessions.

Some of the problem areas you notice will be
physical, such as hunched shoulders, sloppy arm paths, or not finishing each and
every movement fully.

Other habits will be more emotionally or mentally based, like
mouthing counts in the music, looking at the floor, or or making a face while reacting to an on-stage
mishap.

Remember that you’re not watching your performance to
tear it apart, but so that you can become a better dancer! Take an objective detachment, become your own
“casual third party observer”.Watch your tape a few times and make brief notes on
what you’d like to change or improve upon, and then let it go, don’t do anything
about it for a couple of days. Watch it again, and see if your reactions to the
performance are about the same, or less or more than they were when you
initially watched it. Take notes, and
compare the notes from both observation sessions.Now, what you need to work on will be clear.

TAKE BABY STEPS

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your onstage
habits weren’t either!

Once you’ve identified the habits
you’d like to break, you can start re-training yourself to avoid them in
performance. Most experts agree that it takes considerable time and dedication
to discontinue any sort of habit…depending
on the individual, breaking a habit or correcting a nervous tick could take
anywhere from a couple of weeks to six months. It’s a process whereby you’re
actually re-wiring your brain!

PRACTICE SELF-AWARENESS

Watch yourself like a hawk in class or
rehearsals, be vigilant and merciless…. By that, I mean in noticing and correcting
the bad habits, not by emotionally beating yourself up! Remember, you are doing
something positive here! Remind yourselfjust before you go onstage that you are NOT in any way, shape or form,
going to give into falling back to your old habits. Tell yourself out loud if
you need to!You might look like a nut
in the dressing room, but it’s way better than lookingcompulsive or nervous on stage!

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Well, maybe not really… but getting an objective,
neutral party to helpbreak your habits
is a fabulous idea! Discuss your habit-breaking goals with your instructor, troupe leader, show director or a friend, asking them to point out when you
engage in the practices that you want to discontinue.It will help to have another set of eyes on
you, and it will also make you feel a little more accountable and supported.

REWARD YOURSELF

Go all Pavlovian - every time you make it
through a class,practice or performance
withoutengaging in the habit you want to break,give yourself a little reward. Asweet
treat, a new pair of earrings, whatever! Andwhenyou’ve brokenyour habit once and for all,your biggest reward will be a better performance.

You can do it!

#

Get a signed copy ofThe
Belly Dance Handbook: A Companion For The Serious Dancer here: